I want to thank the member from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound for that important question and for his continued work on helping us reduce red tape right across this province.

No matter which small business or industry association I meet with, the first thing they say to me when we sit down is, “We wish every jurisdiction had a ministry dedicated to reducing red tape.” This is because the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, spent decades creating red tape, killing businesses and driving jobs out of our province.

The measures in the spring 2023 red tape reduction package, if passed, will deliver real results for people and businesses right across our province, measures like helping to connect every community across our province to high-speed Internet by 2025.

After 15 years of red tape and excuses under the previous Liberal government, our government is cutting through it all and getting it done.

In the fall 2022 report we reported $576 million in annual savings for businesses, not-for-profits and the broader public sector. I’m proud to stand here today and announce we have now reached nearly $700 million in annual savings.

This, of course, has paved the way for massive investments in our great province in critical minerals, in tech start-ups and in the electric vehicle sector totalling over $17 billion. There are over 660,000 new manufacturing jobs since we took office in 2018. Our latest introduction of the red tape reduction package will help us do even more.

I would encourage all the members on the opposite side, NDP and Liberals, to please get onside, support initiatives that we are introducing, so we can continue to make our province competitive.